Dutch Crop tour Potatoes - week 34
Growing season lead literally evaporates
The potato crop of the Innovator variety is grown on plots of land Boerenbusiness The crop tour is already showing signs of wear. Potatoes usually decline later in the season. Given the early planting dates and the size of the tubers, it's not surprising that the crop is now in decline, although potato harvesting doesn't seem to be imminent.
After a relatively vigorous period at the end of July, with occasional showers, August is dry again, a period during which we also experienced high temperatures. The potatoes are showing considerable signs of wear and tear. Earlier this month, participating growers in the Crop Tour already saw crop decline, but after last week's heat, most of the potatoes have lost their vitality. For an Innovator, that's quite early, based on the calendar, but if growers count the growing days, the crop is actually at its maximum. This was also clearly visible in the test harvest figures from week 31.
Drought the final blow for innovators
At the Gewastour plot in Leuth (Gelderland), Wouter Vierboom has noticed that the crop has developed reasonably well in recent weeks, although the situation is quite variable within his farm. Wouter explains: "The Gewastour plot is actually performing the best on the entire farm. We haven't had much rain here for the past three weeks, and the difference between heavier and lighter soils is clearly visible again. The lighter soil, which is more compact, has continued to grow recently, but the yield on the heavier soils will be really disappointing this year."
In Wouw, Brabant, at Gybert Doggen's, it was dry, and it's still dry, Gybert indicates. His Gewastour plot is already quite dry, and the hot days have also caused a significant increase in crop growth recently, Gybert says. During the interim trial harvest, Gybert achieved 43 tons. According to him, there has been some growth recently, but not as it should in a 'normal' year. Another area where it was dry, and still is, is Brian Salomé's plot in IJzendijke (Zeeland). Despite this, his Innovators are still quite green, he says. "There's no real growth anymore due to this drought, but anything they're still doing is a bonus. Compared to the trial harvest three weeks ago, the crop hasn't actually deteriorated much, which is remarkable."
In Hellevoetsluis, South Holland, the situation is very different for Kees Trouw. "In the 40 years I've been a farmer, I've never seen the drought have such an impact on the crops," Kees says. On Kees's Gewastour plot, he reports virtually no regrowth. The only thing he notices is that the potatoes are becoming nice and round, but according to Kees, they're not gaining any more kilos.
Regrowth can sometimes be disappointing
Compared to last year (58%), the percentage of crops exceeding 50 mm of upward slope is significantly higher this year (85%). This difference isn't surprising given the differing conditions between the two years. This year's growing season is about three weeks ahead of last year's. The difference from last year will likely be primarily due to the regrowth. Due to the drought, especially at the end of the growing season, the Innovators suffered significantly, which is reducing the final yield, as several Crop Tour participants confirmed.
Jan Willem Veldman
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